New hotels in Saudi Arabia and Qatar named among most luxurious in the world

Hotels from Bulgari, Chopard, Six Senses and Peninsula are among the 15 best new luxury hotels, according to Luxury Travel Intelligence, with Bulgari Rome taking top honours.

The online resource for the world's wealthiest travellers has revealed its list of best global arrivals, including the recently opened Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea and Four Seasons The Pearl, Qatar.

The Red Sea resort, which came in 12th place, was the first hotel to open in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea development this November. It pays homage to Nabataean architectural heritage and its desert surroundings, featuring 36 guest rooms and suites, plus 40 pool villas set amid the dunes.

“This very special property achieves exceptional standards in sustainability and desert hospitality, as Saudi Arabia continues to drop its pin on the global luxury tourism map,” said LTI. The Four Seasons in Doha, meanwhile, is a bit different since it only offers residential-style apartments, each with a large bedroom, bathroom, lounge, kitchen and terrace, with one, two and three-bedroom options available.

It creates a “real home-from-home feel, Four Seasons style”, said judges.

Also on the list is The Peninsula in London, which in a year of much-anticipated new openings in the British capital stands out from the crowd, according to LTI. It is ranked 15th. “We noted how they took time to perfect everything before opening,” said LTI. “Sadly this is not the case with all new luxury hotels.”

The Dolli in Athens, takes 14th position, while Capella in Sydney and Como Metropolitan in Singapore are ranked 13th and 11th, respectively.

In 10th place is The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, “a rich, romantic and colourful new property with an old-school vibe”.

It trails after Raffles at The OWO, London in the eighth spot, “another superb property fashioned from a historic landmark”, as a six-year transformation turned Britain's Old War Office into this opulent hotel with 120 rooms and suites, nine restaurants, three bars and a Guerlain spa.

Another Six Senses property, this time in Italy, comes in seventh, as it's a “true oasis within Rome's chaotic and magical historic epicentre”, said LTI, describing it as a “total triumph”.

Estelle Manor, UK, a 60-acre country club and hotel in Oxfordshire, near the Costwolds, takes sixth place thanks to its “new school club with old school values” ethos.

A second Peninsula property, from Istanbul, comes in fifth because it offers the “wow factor at every turn”, while the “spectacular” Mandarin Oriental, in Costa Navarino in Greece, takes fourth place, following the hotel brand's appointment as LTI's World's Best Luxury Hotel Brand 2023.

Bulgari Tokyo could already be “Japan's most luxurious hotel”, despite it only having opened in April. That's why it has come in third, followed by Place Vendome, Paris, from Chopard, which has “quietly created this gem of a boutique Paris grand dame”, featuring only 15 suites and rooms. “Currently, even the hotel website only consists of a booking page. But, trust our judgment, it is truly a special place, particularly if you appreciate quiet luxury,” said judges.

Taking the top position is another Bulgari property and another based in Rome. “Having reported on luxury hotels and brands for over 12 years, we would never have envisaged that a renowned name in fine jewellery could surpass the world's leading luxury hospitality operators to create the World's Best New Luxury Hotel,” wrote LTI.

“But is it so surprising? Bulgari clearly understands the needs and likes of global high-net-worth clients, so why not utilise this to create exceptional ultra-luxury hotels? With Rome, the investment in both time and money is extraordinary and subsequently so is the property.”

The resource pegs Bulgari as a luxury hospitality operator to watch and a “potential game-changer”.